Military Doctine
by Rephaim
Summary: A story based loosely on the events in Survivors Quest. A Chiss naval cadet reflects the legacy of Thrawn as the eve of the Vong invasion approaches.
1. Military Doctrine

**If you've read the great book Survivors Quest by Timothy Zhan, then you'll understand the story a whole lot better. I took a some liberties with the timeline; mostly with Thrawn, the Chiss, and the Vagaari. Sorry about that...**

**Military Doctrine: Part I**

**"As you all know our entire military doctrine and theory is based upon the use of military force only in defense. To kill in preemption is murder."Talx addressed the class of Chiss cadets sitting upright at their info modules.**

**Each set of red eyes was fixed upon the professor so that he was nearly bathed in red light. Only one Chiss looked off into space idly. Sorn (noble son of Nuroudo) counted ceiling tiles.**

**"Our policy was not violated for millennia even in the face of dozens of outside threats until Thrawn attained the position of Syndic. His attack on the Outbound Flight Project not only murdered thousands of innocents, but endangered the Chiss way of life as we know it. Because of his preemption the Ascendancy was revealed to the human empires of the core whose only constants are chaos, change, and an unflinching regression towards barbarity under extreme situations. The incident is simply a grand example of why preemption is NEVER justified."**

**Sorn's thoughts focused on Thrawn. _Preemption, murderer, traitor, tactician, warrior…hero?_ His thoughts spilled over and despite his best efforts his mouth opened up…**

**"No…" he said absentmindedly.**

**Talx instantly stopped the lecture. Slowly all eyes turned towards Sorn. Despite all his social training as a noble in the Nuroudo court he could feel his face blush. _Blast it._ He thought. _I never blush._**

**"Did you want to say something, cadet Sorn?" Talx's hands visibly dug into his console.**

**"No sir. It was nothing." Sorn said lamely as the class leered at him.**

**"Really? Maybe you had something to say that contemporary Chiss doctrines developed over thousands of years had overlooked. Because that is the ONLY reason you would ever interrupt my lecture."Talx said as he leisurely walked through the class rows and leaned upon Sorn's console.**

**_Well, I have to talk now. _Sorn thought as he looked around the class for any way out. _Might as well get it over with and take my punishment. _He cleared his throat.**

**"It was uhh… I was just thinking that preemption can sometimes be justified. Ummm, Doctrine Mobility emphasizes versatility of overall tactics trumping all other doctrines including the Defensive Posture in extreme circumstances."Talx hummed to himself as Sorn rambled.**

**"Interesting,"Talx said noncommittally and then turned to the class, "Dear students, cadet Sorn believes that our greatest tenet is merely a suggestion. Tell, me cadet Sorn, what situation would ever warrant violation of the Doctrine Defense and thereby undo thousands of years of Chiss tradition and morality?"**

**Sorn narrowed his eyes at the harsh sarcasm. A din of snickers and whispers filled the room. His embarrassment was quickly being replaced by anger. If the old man wanted an argument he would get one.**

**"That doctrine is based on the vast data banks of the Expeditionary Library and the social and military predictions made from that data gathered so long ago. The predictor can predict the social and military status of race in the contemporary age simply by studying pieces of that race's art even if that art is thousands of years old. With 99 accuracy we can keep tabs on the galaxy without reconnaissance, infiltration, espionage, or any other form of preemption. This is from the Doctrine Knowledge of "knowing your enemy" and is also what makes Doctrine Defense possible." Sorn began.**

**"Yes, yes. You've only stated why Doctrine Defensive is not only vital, but quite possible."Talx growled.**

**"The predictor also computes information of cosmic rays, radiation, gravity, triangulation's of celestial movements and positions, as well as the projected extinction of stars and their effect on a race's development. However, this only takes into account a mono galactic schema." Sorn continued feeling excitement build in his chest.**

**"Get to the point, cadet. You've already wasted enough time."**

**"What if there was a threat from…outside our galaxy; Outsiders that our databanks could not fathom? If the Outbound Flight Project made contact with a hostile force from outside the galaxy then our predictor would be useless in combating such an enemy. Such a preemptive attack would be prudent and necessary and a multi galactic schema would make Doctrine Defense obsolete."**

**Silence fell suddenly on the class. Every student looked stunned probably wondering whether Sorn would instantly be expelled from the academy in disgrace. Sorn only then realized what he had said and sank back in his chair. Talx's face was hardened and unreadable, his eyes shined uncannily.**

**"Class dismissed. Cadet Sorn, you will see me in my office, NOW!"Talx said a in a short manner.**

**Sorn hastily stood up and gathered his datacards. This was not good. He kept his head down not daring to lookTalx in the eye.**

**"I.. I'm very sorry for the disruption, Professor. I did not mean to go on like that and I do not want to make any excuses, but I think I have gotten a hint of uhh… Hynerian flu and you know how…." Sorn's hurried apology was interrupted as the gathered datacards cascaded out of his arms and clattered upon the floor. He could feel his noble training in graceful social situations slip out his fingers as well, "A thousand apologies… Hynerian… flu… SORRY."**

**Talx's stony face gave way to one of exasperation rather than anger. His military stance relaxed.**

**"Just leave them and please come to my office. Don't worry, I'm not going to report you."**

**Sorn meekly consented and followed Talx out. Talx showed no signs of anger or hostility. He stopped for a snack at the mess hall and conversed with a struggling student in the hall. He even chatted inconsequentially with the bearded janitor.**

**"So this little one is on the chopping block for the terrible wrath of Professor Talxl?" he said pointing at Sorn. Sorn instantly stiffened with fear.Talxand the janitor burst out laughing at the cadet's reaction. Apparently they're friends, Sorn thought with annoyance.**

**They moved on leaving the janitor still howling with laughter. _Is this howTalx disciplines his students?_ Sorn wondered with bewilderment. Finally they came to the office. It was decorated with pieces of art recovered from the Unknown Regions. Probably combat trophies from Talx's days in the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. The professor bade him to sit down and then sat down as well at his desk. His hands were folded and he leaned back in his chair without speaking.**

**"I am truly sorry, Sir. I will accept expulsion and… I do not really have Hynerian flu." Sorn said with defeat, breaking the silence.**

**"That was quite an argument you made in class. Not many Chiss would take that position or give voice to it."Talx said with smile ignoring Sorn's surrender, but the cadet remained silent, "You had some fair points. Our databanks cannot account for things that they should. We could not predict the Vagaari with their biotechnology," He paused for a moment and looked out the window on the snowy ice land.**

**"I read from your files that you have closely studied the campaigns of Thrawn," Sorn nodded, "I knew him. He was every Chiss. "Ice in the blood" they say. He held to the Doctrine Defense without flinching."**

**"What changed his mind?" Sorn said feeling the dread leave him.**

**"His expedition into the Unknown Regions… _changed _him He saw wonders beyond imagination and nightmares; saw ships so large and dark they blotted out the stars; he met with Aiing Tii monks who took him to the far edges of the galaxy and beyond. Before he was arrogant and hard as ice. It took the Unknown Regions with its duality of beauty and terror to finally break him, but one thing held true for him through it all… defending the Chiss race." He paused again and looked outside again.**

**"The Ascendancy is a thing of rarity in the galaxy. It is a place where people can live peacefully and simply apart from the carnage of the human wars. Our children can run through the streets and play without fearing criminals. Our citizens actually trust in the government and the government in the citizens. The Ascendancy is something to be cherished and protected. Yet, I fear even our fleets cannot protect our way of life against the unfathomable horrors from beyond the rim." He composed himself erasing any evidence of his previous emotions. He turned from the window and faced Sorn.**

**"That is why we need people like you. "Ice in the blood" may be enough for some Chiss generals, but ice breaks and shatters under pressure. We need warriors who love their homeland and will do whatever it takes to defend it. Are you such?"**

**Sorn stood up military posture, "I am."**

**"Good. Now, how would you like to serve in Thrawn's old phalanx on Niraun?"**

**Sorn narrowed his eyes, "The Empire of the Hand?"**

**"I understand your reservations. You must be as hard and sharp as ice, but you must also be flexible. To save your home you must leave it behind."Talx held out his hand for the shaken cadet to shake.**

**Sorn watched the hand as his mind churned with indecision. _Thrawn, unknown enemies, ice, homeland, beyond the galactic rim._ It was all too confusing, but one mantra rang clear. _To save your homeland, you must leave it._**

**He took the hand.**

**---**

**Please read and review, or you might as well leave the first chapter of this story for dead! Thanks for reading**


	2. Military Doctrine Part II

**Part Two: Thaw**

**The battle group entered the asteroid belt at 0240 hours. There were five blast boats with supply ships, and a squadron of claw craft. One which Sorn was flying. After maneuvering through thick pockets of the floating rock they came to a clearing and set up the skirmish line. The claw craft were ordered to go ahead on a stealth vector.**

**Sorn eased his claw craft behind an asteroid as the rest of the squadron coasted in around him. He mouthed the names of the pilots as each fighter came into position. It had taken six months to learn their names, he noted with smile. Six months it had been since he joined the Hand Empire on Niraun. In those months he saw dozens of worlds, learned new languages and most of all mastered the claw craft.**

**"Report in." The C.O. said, his voice sounding computer like over the fuzzy connection. Reports streamed through with no rush as the squadron accounted for themselves, 'We have them on long range scanners. Beginning bombardment… now."**

**The blast boats opened up with staggered concussion torpedo fire in the general direction of the enemy. The torpedoes detonated in the distance with a faint flash. Under cover of the torpedoes the squadron slowly moved forward.**

**"Red 4, proceed carefully and gain a visual confirmation." The C.O. commanded Sorn.**

**Sorn repeatedly tapped the overdrive button and pulled away from the line of fighters. Even after six months of flying the fighter, its slight, but strong acceleration continued to surprise him. It was a great departure from the classic Chiss fighter. The claw craft was maneuverable and fast, while the Chiss fighter was large and laden with armor and firepower.**

**He drifted from rock to rock, between flights of torpedoes. Intermittent explosions bathed his claw craft in pure white light. His overdrive energized and went silent again and again to maintain the stealth factor. Finally, he glimpsed the colors of Vagaari design. These Vagaari were the remnants of the fleet that assaulted the Redoubt. In an attempt to escape they were running the blockade under the cover of this asteroid field. The Hand Empire would NOT let them get away. Nearly a hundred Chiss had died in that attack, but the consequences were even more far reaching. The retreating Vagaari took with them the coordinates of the station as well as a navigational route into the heart of the Ascendancy. While, the attack was repulsed the Vagaari survivors had to be terminated at any cost.**

**He did a quick overview of the convoy; two freighters, five transports, a light cruiser, and nine fighters. Everything was accounted for. They held a tight formation as they flew through the hail of explosions. Clustered together they had no idea that fighters were stalking them. Sorn smiled. They were ripe for the attack. He sent a signal to the squadron.**

**Soon enough eleven silent claw craft emerged from the rock field and took up hidden positions a thousand meters from the convoy. _The time is right_. Sorn thought as he pulled out a data card and plugged it in. It was his combat soundtrack; a combination of Chiss propoganda screamed by a crazed inciter at high decibel levels and a Chiss opera ballad from the time period of the species' conquests. He closed his eyes as he felt the sound wash over him.**

**"The Vagaari are a despicable barbaric race whose aggression of which we can only be cognicient of by knowing their FUNDAMENTAL FLAWS in social faculties which is displaced upon weaker species in the form of war. BY WAR they make up for a LAZINESS to attain social plasticity to improve themselves as a whole. BY KILLING they make up for an inbred SELF-LOATHING. WAR and PREEMPTION and MURDER to them is, but a means to reinvigorate an economy DEFUNCT by INTERNAL, BIOLOGICAL, and SOCIAL DEFECTS." The inciter yelled above a rising octave of ferocious opera that told of ancient heroes.**

**"ATTACK NOW!" The C.O. yelled. The opera sang gloriously. The torpedoes exploded brilliantly. The inciter shouted with national pride. Engines blazed. The hail of fire descending upon the convoy illuminated dead space. The squadron was a striking sword of fire. Nothing could be more glorious.**

**"CHISS ARE SUPERIOR BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BE." Sorn's lasers ripped through a stalled Vagaari fighter.**

**"WE STAND AT THE VANGUARD OF THE COLD TOMB OF SPACE." A freighter reeled as claw craft made a brutal firing run across the length of its hull.**

**"PREEMPTION IS MURDER." Explosions mixed their fires as the enemy was cut down. The Vagaari were known for tight formations and in tight formations they were butchered like cattle.**

**"THE ASCENDANCY FOREVER."**

**Claw craft sent updated targeting information to the blast boats and the torpedoes tightened their firing pattern. The light cruiser banked away too late and was smashed by a wave of the missiles. In two minutes it was all over. The firing stopped. The victorious fighters coasted to a halt. The debris spread out clinking against their shields. Sorn couldn't help grinning. There was static in the opera and he realized too late it was the C.O. yelling over the cacophony. He hastily turned the noise off.**

**"I SAID, did any of _them _escape, Red 4." The C.O. said with frustration.**

**"Uhh, no sir. However, they did get a transmission out. I am performing a triangulation trace."**

**Sorn punched a few equations into an equation. With some mental math work and a determination of Vagaaric dialect he had the message in a matter of minutes. One word blinked on his screen. Doomsday. Sorn narrowed his eyes and his skin shifted.**

**"All fighters, get back to the blast boats, NOW! We have encountered an unidentified Vagaari warship… gravimetric anomalies… weapons useless…" The C.O.'s transmission became garbled and mixed with that of desperate combat.**

**Sorn was nearly paralyzed. He barely heard the squad leader's order to hit the overdrive. He hardly noticed his fingers actually do it. Anxious thoughts raced through his head. _Vagaari…biotechnology… Unidentified?_ His fingers driven by fear and adrenaline punched the comm. The blast boats weren't responding. Sweat welled in his glove and nausea surged within him. Something was definitely wrong.**

**With six hundred meters to go they immediately came under fire. This was not normal blaster fire. They were orange and red projectiles of liquid fire. A claw craft was overwhelmed and burst into flames. The squadron leader shouted with primal fear the order to dive and evade. Sorn wound around a projectile and came up firing blindly.**

**There was the ship. It _seemed _Vagaari, but it was something far beyond. The hull was black corral with pulpy flesh like seams running across it like cracks. The ship pulsed as if a vile liquid ran through it; as if it had a… a beating heart. Even in the chaos Sorn's artistic side was enameled by the level of detail hideous as it was. They were erratic wrinkles, scars, grasping claws, teeth and even blinking eyes scattered across the hull.**

**He suddenly remembered at this inappropriate time his argument with Talx. He had never realized his inquisition would bring him here. Nothing in this galaxy could be so horrific. Through the throes of dying warriors Sorn saw the destruction of his race. THIS was the horror beyond the Chiss understanding. THIS was what warranted preemption. THIS was what the subject of Thrawn's dissent. THIS was the abomination.**

**Sorn fought on, but he felt dead inside. Images of Csilla in flames at the hands of this thing filled his mind. His shields were snatched by the singularity that distorted the light silhouetting the ship. The abomination even corrupted light. He fired uselessly at it as tears began to flow.**

**Fighter after fighter succumbed to the fire and finally the retreat order was given. They fled from the ship, but he could see clouds of fighters pouring out like spores. The fire followed their retreat and pilots screamed as they were burned alive. And, then there were two; Sorn and the squadron commander fleeing at top speed, but the enemy fighters were still gaining on them. Sorn hung his head in defeat when he saw a derelict supply ship shining with every intent of providence. It had to carry at least half a load of concussion missiles.**

**"I have an idea. Prepare for an over drive on my mark." Sorn said excitedly.**

**The squadron commander didn't have a chance to reply as a spider like creature attached to his ship. _Where'd that come from._ Sorn thought. He watched in terror as the creature dug bladed arms into the fighter. There was a rush of air and the cockpit windows turned blood. Sorn's comm was filled with the cries of a tortuous death. Gritting his teeth and blinking back tears he continued his plan with a new tenacity.**

**He turned off directional thrusters and turned all the way around while keeping the same vector. He was basically flying backwards now. The fighters swarmed like angry bees firing en masse at him. The hits rocked the ship and he struggled to line the sights up with the supply ship. There would only be one chance. With trembling hands and a jostling ship fighter beneath him he eased the joystick into position and squeezed the trigger. A four blasts flew out and hit the supply ship.**

**Nothing happened. He sucked in his breath. Then everything went white as the explosion issued. His ship was slammed by the shockwave and tumbled back. Struggling with the controls he finally brought the fighter back to homeostasis. Now with everything silent he dared to look back with hope of victory and the liquid fire hit. Multiple alarms went off and the fighter began tumbling through space once more. The fire ate through the side and splashed upon his suit. He fumbled for the hyperspace jump controls as, but his shaking hands kept fumbling. With widened fearful eyes he watched the fire continue to eat away. He gave way to panic and his fumbling hand turned into a fist slamming the controls with primitive fear. The fire touched skin…**

**Sorn sat unmoving on metal chair. His eyes were dead looking straight ahead without blinking. His scalded hand was tucked away in his disheveled and stained uniform. It was a drab colored room with no features except for the Chiss in the chair. The only sound was the ventilator making its periodic noise. Sounds of static filled the room as an intercomm was activated.**

**"What is your name and rank?" Said a woman's voice coming from the intercomm. There was no reaction from the Chiss until finally his chapped lips parted and a strained voice came out.**

**"Sorn… ensign…" He replied dejectedly.**

**"What happened to your squad?"**

**"I do not remember."**

**"What happened to your squad?"**

**"…I do not remember…" Cracks of emotion began to show on Sorn's face.**

**"What happened?"**

**"I said, I do… NOT… REMEMBER." The anger rose in his chest.**

**"What…"**

**"I SAID I DON'T REMEMBER. I SAID I DON'T REMEMBER. I SAID I DON'T REMEMBER. WHY DO YOU KEEP ASKING? I DON'T REM…" Sorn savagely grabbed the chair and slammed it into the wall.**

**Talx watched from an observational window. His posture was stiff with his hands clasped tightly behind his back and his lips were pressed into a taunt line. A women wearing medical jumpsuit stood beside him.**

**"As you can see, repeated questioning drives him to these violent outbursts. Usually he is in a state of near comatose. We believe that it is a severe form of posttraumatic stress," the woman's explained. She stopped abruptly though she looked like she had more to say, "However, he did suffer from alien contamination so then the problem could be biological… in which case he may be irreversibly damaged." Her eyes turned to the floor, "I have heard he was your most favored student."**

**"Have you tried visual stimulation with artistic patterns and shapes? That has been shown to rehabilitate Chiss." Talx replied quickly ignoring her last comment.**

**"He shows even more rage at art. His exact words were 'I do not want to see. I might see too far… over the rim.'" Talx took some time to absorb the statement. He hastily changed the subject.**

**"So, you think a familiar voice will give him some stability?"**

**"That's what we're hoping. There's a lot of pressure from command to have him tell us what he knows and interrogation of my patients is certainly not why I signed up." Her voice took on an edge of anger.**

**"It is alright. You made the right choice. Now, I want to talk to him alone."**

**Sorn cowered in a corner watching the mangled metal mess of the chair. He was afraid of his own rage, afraid of the universe, most of all afraid of the abomination. After his ordeal the universe had turned into a cold dark place full of monsters and boogey men. He didn't even look up as the doors opened and Talx walked into the room. Talx came up behind and assumed a military stance. Sorn didn't acknowledge. The professor finally made a deliberate clearing of the throat. Sorn turned around with squinted eyes and gave a feeble salute.**

**"What's wrong, ensign Sorn? You were right. You wanted the thing that would make Doctrine Defense obsolete. You wanted the thing that is worth killing. Why so sad? You got what you wanted." Talx asked harshly. Sorn's eyebrows bunched and a glint of anger showed in his eye.**

**"You knew about it. THRAWN knew it. I did… NOT WANT THIS." Sorn said bitterly.**

**"And, now YOU know it. So, what are you going to do with this knowledge? Are you going to cower in fear all your life? Are you forget your quest for knowledge and return to traditional Chiss ideals? Is it too much?"**

**"I watched my squad be SLAUGHTERED. It was not a death like any other combat. We were prey and the enemy was the predator. The enemy was an animal. It stabbed us with its own claws. It spit at us with its own mouth. It wanted to eat us like cattle. Do not lecture me about my ignorance. I deserve my ignorance." Terrifying replays of the battle began to unfold in his mind. He paused for a moment and then broke down. His body was wracked by heaving sobs and he began rocking, "How… how can we defeat such a thing? We will never understand it. We can never plug it into a computer. We… just… _can't_. Every day I see that thing devouring our homeland. Everyday I see doomsday. How… _how?"_ Sorn couldn't go on anymore.**

**Talx turned his eyes away to give the ensign dignity. He rest a hand on the shaking shoulder.**

**"Your right. The Ascendancy alone cannot defeat this enemy. That is why you are here. That is why you left your homeland." Sorn paused at Talx's words, "Everyone meets their destiny and it is always terrifying, but it is the HEROES who face their destiny."**

**"What is my destiny?" Talx smiled.**

**"You are so much like Thrawn." He said affectionately.**

**Talx handed him a data pad, saluted and left. Sorn's fingers trembled as he accessed the data. The loading bar reached it full point and his fate was revealed. His fingers stopped their tremors. He was not afraid any more. Instead of the universe seeming like a vast and cold place, it became smaller; more personal.**

**The data was an anthropomorphic trace of the Vagaari migrations. At one point at the rim of the galaxy there was another vector coinciding with the nomadic race. The vector flying straight as the crow flies came from outside the galaxy. Somewhere**, that crow cawed with delight.


	3. Of Stories and Dreams

Thanks to all the people who reviewed this story and made this chapter possible.

**Of Stories and Dreams**

Sorn made his way across the medical ward with his burned arm in a simple sling. The infirmary at the Hand of Thrawn had been upgraded and expanded in last few months as the wounded streamed in. It wasn't prepared for this large a number of maimed and injured, but since the fragile tie fighters were being replaced with shielded clawcraft the survivability of pilots drastically increased. Sorn supposed it was a good thing that pilots were surviving, but he was disturbed by the cries of the wounded who were denied a quick and painless death. Unintended consequences were often cruel.

The place was an assault on all the senses. The first thing that struck him was the sight of bright livid red blood barely mediated by the occasional stained white bandage. Then came the sounds of suffering and despair. Finally, the smell hit him. Bacta and antiseptics mixed with the stench of pestilential wounds. He quickened his pace with his green patients gown sapping his dignity.

The door slid open and steam rolled out from the bacta room curling around his bare feet. He stomached the smell of bacta and entered the fog. His red eyes narrowed as they adjusted to the misty atmosphere. After a few steps the rows of bacta bathtubs appeared. A Chiss lounged in one tub with his back to Sorn. Sorn could only see his head, but his eyes were drawn to a hideous spider web pattern of scars on his neck. At the sound of Sorn's steps the Chiss turned around and regarded him with a round face and dark red eyes.

"Well, hello someone to keep me company in this pressure cooker. What are you in for?" He said jovially in a manner that Sorn found unlike any other Chiss soldier.

"Arm…" Was all Sorn could muster. Sorn gingerly removed his sling peeling the fabric off skin wet with puss and blood. He then slipped out of his gown, "What are you here for?" He said trying to continue the conversation.

"I got burned all over. I recommend you don't see my burn unless your desperately interested in Chiss anatomy. My skin's still terribly transparent. But, don't worry, that Vagaari won't be going home to gloat."

Sorn only listened halfheartedly as he lowered himself into the tub. Instantly the aches and pains of being cooped up in a cockpit began to dissipate. Feeling returned to toes that had been numb, cold fingers tingled. Then his arm touched the water and he gasped with pain. The arm was quickly pulled back.

"First time's always the worse. Skin and tissue being regenerated can be quite painful. You handled it well. When they lowered me into this tub I was screaming and crying like a babe conceived on a glacier. The trick is to slowly put your arm into the bacta." The Chiss advised.

Gritted his teeth Sorn slowly put the arm below bacta. He bit back pain as the arm disappeared below the boiling liquid. The pain gradually lowered to the point where it was manageable. He sighed with relief and let his head rest against the edge.

"The healing process always hurts. There'll be some long sleepless nights with itchy irritated wounds. But, at least now I have someone to keep me company. My name's Pred'dis'Inrokini." Pred said allowing himself to sink deeper into the tub.

"Sorn."

"What? No long family name? No matter, you're probably a Nuroudo from the look of you. Not that family names mean anything out here. That's the beauty of democracy. You can do whatever you want to no matter what family you came from. Like all Inrokini, I was assigned to work as a miner building passageways between the warrens. Would've spent my life coughing up dust but, here… I'm a clawcraft pilot. Back on Csilla you can't sneeze without the government telling you to blow your nose." Pred chuckled with uncharacteristic Chiss humor.

"I would hardly call the Empire a democracy." Sorn coldly replied.

"The Emperor was democratically elected, but this is an empire of Thrawn and not an empire of that sadistic Sith sorcerer. We Inrokini usually don't debate politics. Instead we tell stories to past the time."

"Stories?"

"Why not? It'll take our minds off the bacta smell. Tell me, what's the Nuroudo tale of the genesis of the Chiss race."

Sorn thought back to all the stories he read as a child. He would spend hours in the Expeditionary Library sifting through volumes containing all the myths of the Chiss. He could name all the ancient heroes and collected the opera from time's past. The Chiss race was different than what it was today. The Chiss used to be a conquering people and the histories were full of stories about battles between massive armadas and bloody planetary assaults.

"Well, there's not much to tell. The four heroes led by Nuroudo slew the savage aliens and cleared the star systems surrounding Csilla. After years of fighting they claimed and settled the 28 systems of the Ascendancy." Sorn said racking his brain.

"Ah, but that's history. Typical Nuroudo. Short, pithy… historical. I'm talking about stories; things not quite true, but in their own way closer to the truth than any history." Pred said with a snort.

"And, what tale Ironkini have to tell?"

"Our tale is a little… longer." Sorn was interested now.

"I am not going anywhere. Still have a lot of skin to regenerate."

Pred took in Sorn's acceptance and paused. A fleshy hand cupped water and dribbled it over Pred's face. Sorn gulped as he saw the hand. It was livid and pink, with blue arteries crisscrossing its length. Pred stayed silent for a time with eyes closed as he collected his thoughts.

"The story starts far away and long ago. The Chiss at this time lived on a green world in the heart of the Kathol Drift. The time was around the first invention of the hyperdrive. The Chiss were a happy people. They laughed and danced in the sun. Their skin was pink, their eyes were blue, their hair was yellow, and they were better looking than any Correlian."

"But, they were a prideful people who stepped on many a toe. A day came when they crossed the wrong people. For a crime that has now been forgotten (some said it was slavery) wise and powerful alien monks exiled the Chiss to Csilla. However, the monks said that if the Chiss battled the deadly monsters that dwelt on Csilla they would be allowed to return to their homeworld."

"Csilla was warm at this time and though the Chiss looked far and wide, sailed to every shore and climbed every mountain they never found the monsters. So, they settled, built farms and cities, had families, fought wars, loved, hated, sang, and danced as normal humans do. The monsters were forgotten. But, then over hundreds of years the glaciers began to advance and claim land. Every year more and more farmland was locked in an icy embrace. Cities were abandoned as the people retreated from the encroaching ice-wall. The land was changing and the world was quickly becoming a wasteland."

"Then, the ice cracked and shifted. Some said something below it was forcing its way up. From the cracks sprung the monsters. They were called "Ice Wraiths". The Chiss tried to fight them. The Chiss were a strong people who thought they could easily handle some errant beasts, but these beats were smart, organized, and tactical. The ice wraiths were ruthless and hideous creatures, terrifying to behold in battle. They were creatures of absolute cold and ice. Many hapless Chiss fell to their warmth leeching claws. They came from below ground, hibernating until the ice came. The ice wraiths hungered for the flesh of the warm blooded and had patiently waited for several millennia to spill out into galaxy. Because they could travel below ground they could strike anywhere without warning. Nowhere was safe."

"For a time, the ice wraiths slaughtered our people. Whole generations fell on the windswept planes of the ever advancing glaciers. A Chiss who survived a particularly brutal battle petitioned the great and powerful monks. He said, "My comrades are slain and my people will soon disappear. Don't let us die here. Give us the way to victory." The monks were wise in all things and responded, "If you we give you victory, then you will never again live in warmth." Looking at his fallen compatriots, the Chiss man accepted without a second thought. The monks named him _Dreamer._"

"That night he dreamed of the ice wraiths. When he woke he made incisions on the ice carving out a picture of a wraith. From that picture, the Chiss were able to predict where the wraiths would emerge from the ice. This time they were prepared and finally beat the wraiths back. Dreamer continued to dream and chisel and paint and sculpt and each time he created art he developed a new strategy for defeating the ice wraiths. After completed a one beautiful piece he invented the charric blaster which was found to be exceedingly effective."

"One day there was terrible battle where the temperature became colder than ever before and the blood of Chiss turned the glaciers red. Another generation of Chiss died and fell among the bodies of their enemies. Above it all stood the dreamer. His eyes went from blue to bright red and his eyes burned so brilliantly they could be seen a horizon away. After that he was colder… harder. He taught others to dream and to create the things that they dreamed."

"So the Chiss dreamed and created. They won every battle against the ice wraiths. Yet, every victory brought bluer skin, redder eyes, and blacker hair until they were totally unrecognizable from what they once were. But, the Chiss didn't notice the changes. They fought for a thousand years. They learned to survive the ice. Finally, the last of the ice wraiths were defeated and the threat that they posed to the galaxy died with them."

"The Chiss had victory, but it rang hollow and tasted bitter. They found they could not celebrate. They could no longer dance and sing. They couldn't love… they couldn't even hate. With their deed done they tried to return to green worlds where the rest of the humans lived in happiness. But, the humans rejected them when they saw the red eyes and the blue skin. "We do not know you and we fear you." They said. The crestfallen Chiss petitioned the monks. They begged the monks to return them to their green homeworld. The monks refused. "You are no longer like the other races. You are like the ice wraiths. It is your fate to live in ice and battle monsters from beyond." The Chiss accepted their fate and returned to Csilla where they established the Ascendancy and prepared for the coming of the monsters."

"Doesn't exactly have a happy ending. But, that's how we Chiss are. It's easier for us to frown than to smile. That's the way of things. Of course, it's just a story, but there is a lot of scholarly debate surrounding the story. The new monsters have attributed to many races. Many have said it's the Ssi-Ruuk that the story refers to. Others have said it's the Vagaari. Some believe the monsters are still coming..."

Sorn remembered the day in the asteroid belt and shivered despite the scalding liquid.

Pred smiled wide and there was an uncanny twinkle in his eye. "And, then there's another theory that says the Chiss lost the war. And, we… we are the ice wraiths. But, then again I'm just an Inrokini. I wouldn't know much about that."

There was a thick silence after Pred stopped speaking. The smell of bacta returned to their noses and the pain reasserted itself. Sorn finally lifted himself out of the tub and donned his gown.

"Before I came to Niraun," Sorn said suddenly, "I went through the personnel files of all the pilots. The files said that you were of the family, Sabosen."

Another smile spread over Pred's face.

"Did they know?" He innocently asked.

"And, the Sabosen are known for being scholarly and well versed in Chiss mythology."

"Are they? Well… I wouldn't know much about that."

Sorn chuckled and shook his head. Swinging a towel over his shoulder he turned to leave.

"I'll see on at the front, Sorn. I hear we are going to be shipped out to fight the Ssi-Ruuk. We'll give them the ice wraith's own hell." Pred shouted at his back as he exited the bacta room.

In his quarters the orders scrolled down Sorn's console. The Hand Empire was going deep this time. They were going to the edge of the galaxy where the last remnant of the Ssi-Ruuk remained awaiting the twilight of their empire. He was to report to the flight deck in the morning. That night… he dreamed.


End file.
